New Ties
by rated-emm
Summary: It has been 20 years since Maxon married America and things have changed; Illea has fallen into economic, political, and military despair. To save their country, they send their only daughter to the Kingdom of Berkley to participate in Prince Bradley's Selection. Unfortunately, she isn't the only foreign princess hoping to capture Bradley's heart. Submit a princess! SYOC
1. Chapter 1

"Come in," Maxon said, motioning for his wife to enter his office.

Carrying a small tray of snacks, America Schreave stepped through the doorway. She placed the food on a wooden table in the corner and then made her way over to her husband. Maxon, who was sitting at his desk surrounded by stacks of paperwork, was reading over an important document.

"I think you need a break," America said, handing Maxon a finger sandwich. It was made of cream cheese and cucumbers, and was sliced into a triangle.

Maxon shook his head. "Not right now," he sighed, waving the sandwich away. "I need to respond back to this by Saturday."

"You should at least eat something," America insisted. Her husband had been working all evening and had missed dinner.

"I will in a minute," Maxon replied, handing the document over to America. "But I need your opinion on something first."

Raising her brow, America nodded and took the crisp parchment. She began scanning through its contents and frowned when she realized what it was. Staring into Maxon's chocolate brown eyes, she shook her head with disbelief.

"We can't possibly agree to this," she said, her voice full of conviction.

Maxon sighed. "We don't have a choice. If we don't we'll-"

"We always have a choice," America interrupted, "and I choose not to send our daughter away."

Maxon exhaled loudly. "You know full well the state of Illea at the moment. Our economy is struggling, new rebels have surfaced, and it's only a matter of time before more provinces secede from Illea like Yukon, Calgary, and Zuni did last year. Heck, we've already lost control over half the provinces."

"I know, but-"

"America, we have to seriously consider this offer," Maxon insisted. "The war with New Asia drained our treasury and set Illea into a downward spiral. We're no longer one of the major superpowers of the world."

"I still don't like it," America said firmly.

"I know you want our princess to marry for love, but she may not be a princess for much longer if we don't at least try."

"I understand that," America huffed. "But a political marriage is still a political marriage."

"Well then you understand that the Kingdom of Berkley controls over a third of the world and was, is, and will continue to be a powerhouse for years to come. A marriage with the Henleys, its ruling family, would save Illea," Maxon said, trying to persuade America into seeing the benefits of accepting the offer.

America shook her head and handed Maxon back the paper. She strolled over to the corner of the room by the window and poured herself a cup of tea. Clouds of steam rose from the hot liquid and disappeared in the cool night's air. She took a sip and then mixed in a teaspoon of white sugar. She wasn't sure if the tea was bitter, or if it was just the bad taste their conversation was leaving in her mouth. "He's too old for our daughter," she finally said, trying to find any excuse she could.

"Dear," Maxon called from the other side of the room. "Yes, Prince Bradley is 24, but many young girls have married much older men. Please just consider it."

"I am, Maxon," America said. She slammed her cup down so hard on the tray that the bottom chipped. "I am."

**Okay, so this story will follow your characters as they navigate the Kingdom of Berkley and it's own 'Selection'. Obviously there will be some similarities between the competitions, but the dynamics of the new kingdom will be different. Details about the plot will be revealed throughout the chapters, but basics have been written in up above. Also, the character skeleton, kingdom details, competition details, and submission rules will be posted on my profile.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 1**

With his left arm in a sling and his forehead bleeding, Ryan James Henley sat perfectly still in his royal chambers. Per his request, his attendant tossed aside the needle and thread and carefully began bandaging his head. "I think stitches would better suit this wound than-"

"That'll take too long, Michael," Ryan quickly interjected. Michael nodded and pinned the material so that it wouldn't come loose.

Exhaling loudly, Ryan looked at himself in the mirror. Bruised, broken, and bleeding, he didn't resemble a prince at all. He seemed more like a zombie who'd risen from its grave. "My mom is not going to be happy," he admitted, taking special note of his messy hair and torn up clothing. "She hates it when I look like this."

"The clothing can be easily mended, but some wounds take time. Are you sure you're okay?" Michael asked, worried about the young prince's health. Ryan was having trouble sleeping lately and its effects on his body were becoming blatantly obvious. After all, he'd never been so exhausted from riding before, let alone fallen off his horse.

"The headache isn't that bad anymore," Ryan confessed. Surprisingly, he felt better than he'd expected, especially after being in the saddle for a while and then thrown from his horse. Yes, the incessant pounding in his skull had yet to cease, but it was much more dull than it was a few hours ago.

"Would you like something to ease the pain?" Michael offered. "I could call the doctor and get him to prescribe you something."

Ryan shook his head, wincing at the pain. "It's fine. I just need you to help me get changed into something a little less muddy."

"Of course." Michael immediately went into the closet and returned with a fresh set of clothing. Ryan slipped into the pants and shirt easily, but needed help fastening his burgundy tie and pulling the matching cashmere sweating over his head. Michael then adjusted his shirt underneath so that nothing was crooked.

"Do I look somewhat okay?" Ryan asked.

"Somewhat," Michael smiled, taking the dirty clothes away to be washed.

"Well that's good enough," Ryan grinned. He fixed his collar one last time and then slipped out of his room to get some breakfast. On his way downstairs, the youngest prince managed to dodge several maids carrying heavy glass vases. He sighed with relief when he didn't run into any. It was still early in the morning and yet the castle was bustling. TV crews, journalists, and many others in the media field were setting up around the castle in designated spots. So much was going on and Ryan wanted to see everything. However, the fragrant aromas drifting from the kitchen were calling him, forcing him to put aside his curiosities for the sake of filling his stomach.

To his surprise, only his middle brother was eating when he arrived in the dining room. "Where's everyone else?" Ryan asked, taking the vacant seat across from him.

"Uncle Dillon is still sleeping and Mom is in the garden," Joshua Henley said nonchalantly, biting into a crispy piece of applewood-smoked bacon. He was reading over some folders and had them scattered across the table. "How was your morning ride?"

"I fell but am okay," Ryan grinned proudly. "It hurt a bit, but now everything feels fine."

Ryan Henley was twelve years younger than Josh and fourteen years younger than Bradley. He wore his hair the same way Josh did: short and parted at the side. But while Josh's was a natural brown ash color, Ryan's was almost black. Besides that, the main difference between them was their attitudes; Josh was all business while Ryan was all play. The youngest Henley brother was more interested in riding horses, sleeping, and fooling around than he was in actual work. But then again, he was only ten.

"Want some juice?" Josh offered, noticing his brother's dominant arm sitting in a sling. There was no way he'd be able to lift a heavy jug of orange juice all by himself like that without spilling it on the table.

"Yes please."

"Okay, tell me when to stop," Josh said, filling up Ryan's cup.

"Stop. Thanks," Ryan said, taking a sip of juice. "So, what's in the folders?" he wondered, leaning back in his chair. "Are they the profiles for Bradley's Selection?"

"Not exactly," Josh revealed. "But they're somewhat related." He dipped his toast in his over-easy eggs. "They're reports from Bradley about the progress of our military campaign."

"Is it good news or bad news?" Ryan asked.

"It's good, but not something you need to be concerned with," Josh told him flatly. "All you need to worry about is finding a good excuse to explain your arm to mom."

Ryan frowned. He would have folded his arms but the sling wouldn't allow it. "You guys never tell me anything," he pouted.

Chuckling, Josh rested his fork and knife down on his plate. "We will when you're older."

"Now you're starting to sound like mom," Ryan sulked, stabbing his fork into one of the sausages on his plate. "You and Bradley get to help expand the empire while I'm stuck at home twiddling my thumbs."

Josh sighed and ran his hand through his hair. They'd been over this a hundred times. How could he explain their campaign to Ryan without going into too much detail? "Bradley didn't go to war so that he'd be viewed as a hero to the people of Berkley. In terms of national interests, the war abroad makes no sense," said Josh. "But it terms of the political interests of the crown, it's crystal clear; our family will gain politically from this campaign."

"And in plain English…"

"Let's just say that our motives for war are less heroic than you think," Josh concluded, taking another bite of bacon.

Ryan shrugged. "If you say so." He didn't like his brother's answer but knew he'd get the same response if he asked again. When it came to matters of the state, especially foreign relations, Ryan was kept in the dark. He hated it, but couldn't do a thing.

"When is Bradley coming home?" Ryan asked, changing the subject. "All these cameras and stuff are here for _his _Selection."

It had been four years since Ryan had seen his eldest brother. Ever since their father passed away, Bradley had shouldered the responsibility of managing the country. The first few years were difficult all by himself, but Josh stepped in to help once he turned eighteen. Even their uncle Dillion was lending a hand, but his abilities were limited by his old age. Now that things had settled, Bradley was focused on expanding the empire and went abroad with his own personal army at his side. Ryan didn't know what his brother was doing overseas, but every so often news of the Kingdom of Berkley annexing another country reached his ears.

"Hopefully tomorrow," Josh said.

Ryan cocked a brow. "But the Selection candidates are arriving tonight!"

* * *

**A/N: **I just wanted to thank everyone who submitted a character and has taken an interest in my fic. I haven't posted a final list of accepted characters yet, but I will once all the spots are filled. So submit some more because there are still a few spots left!

I've decided to cut down the number of girls to seven instead of ten. The reason I'm doing this is so that I can really focus on your OCs and give them as much chapter time as possible. I really hate it when there are so many OCs that they're all only mentioned once.

Anyways, this chapter was just meant to briefly introduce you to Bradley's brothers. They'll be playing important roles later on in the plot, especially when it comes to determining their kingdom's future.

**Answers to Questions (I always try to answer as many as possible):**

Liverdiverz - I actually just pulled the name from a list of baby names on the internet.

ShadowDude90 - Whoa! You really put a lot of detail into your submission! I was reading it over on my phone at work and kept scrolling down thinking the PM was endless. That aside, I really appreciate the amount of effort you put into the OC skeleton. I'm not going to lie, but I don't think I'll be able to really use all that information, especially that stuff about her 7 siblings. It's good to know, but I'm not sure if I'll use it or not. Now to answer some parts of your review. I decided not to assign cultures to countries because I'm not really familiar with enough cultures to write them well. I didn't want people to choose a culture and assume that was what the country's culture was either. I did this because no matter how much someone tells me in a PM about a certain background/culture, it won't be enough for me to be culturally correct when writing their character. Plus it makes it 100 times more difficult for me to write their character because now I have to make sure I'm getting their personality and culture right, plus do research in case I want to include something random related to their culture. So pretty it's pretty much just easier for me to make up the cultures of each country. That being said, I don't mind having Spelking's environment like that of Russia. In terms of it's culture, I can't really promise you that it will be Russian or even similar. Anyways, hopefully that answered your questions. Sorry to have gone on rambling like that. I really like your OC so I just wanted to take as much time to answer you as you did sending me that detailed form.

Julyette of Wonder - I'm so glad you submitted this OC. She is exactly what I'm looking for in terms of a dynamic character!


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 2**

Prince Josh lay in bed that night listening to the rain, his breathing, and the beating of his own heart. Despite the late hour, he was awake and alert. So many things were running through his head that he couldn't fall asleep. There was the fact that several foreign princesses had moved into his home, the fact that one of them was going to marry his brother, and the fact that said brother wasn't even home!

Rolling onto his stomach, Josh buried his face in his pillow. In all honesty, he wasn't looking forward to his brother's return. The two hadn't been getting along recently. Their fights as children mostly revolved around whose toys belonged to who, but as the years passed they became much more serious. Nowadays their quarrels were over their opposing ideas on how the kingdom should be run. Of course Bradley's decisions were final, but Josh always contributed some input once he'd come of age.

Racking his brain for something to cure his boredom, an idea suddenly popped into his head. He knew it wasn't the mature thing to do, but that's what made it so exciting. Heck, it had been years since he'd done it. He could still remember the look on his mother's face when she'd caught him scaling the castle walls and breaking into the kitchen. She'd given him a long lecture on the meaning of being a prince and acting appropriately. Unfortunately, most of what she'd said had fallen on deaf ears.

Josh swung his legs over the side of the bed and moved towards the window in his room. It was large and overlooked the beautiful grounds at the back of the castle. But before he could open it all the way, the door creaked open and a tall figure slipped inside.

"What on earth do you think you're doing?" the intruder asked. He was standing in the shadows, making it impossible to see his face. Of course his deep husky voice gave him away, but only those closest to him would recognize him by it.

"Nowhere."

"Oh really," Bradley said sarcastically, unimpressed by his brother's response. He threw himself on Josh's bed and spread out like a star. "Then I guess I'll have to wait until you come back."

Sighing, Josh closed the window and took a seat on the foot of the bed. "What do you want?"

Bradley loosened his boots and kicked them onto the floor. "Happy to see you too, brother."

"Well we didn't expect you to come home early and in one piece, especially after your last phone call," Josh confessed, reminding Bradley of the rather worrying message he'd left their mother two weeks ago.

"Surprisingly, everything turned out better than I expected," Bradley said, ignoring his brother's evident annoyance. "The government was quick to submit so we didn't suffer many casualties."

"And how about the civilian losses?" Josh reminded him, pressing his brother for the absolute truth. He was aware of Bradley's tendency to gloss over the details of his political expeditions, and knew grilling him was the only way to get the less appealing information out of him.

Bradley smirked. He knew full well that the negative things he had to say would bother Josh. Still, he didn't mind sharing if that's what his brother wanted. "Of course there were tons of those. You should have seen the bodies scattered along the streets."

Josh exhaled loudly, intent on showing his brother how he disapproved of his obvious lack of sympathy and remorse. He never understood why death never affected him. He guessed it was because Bradley had become so exposed to it over the past few years.

Bradley rolled his eyes. In his head, Josh was too soft. He had yet to accept the fact that their empire expanded through violent means, not diplomatic ones. No matter how many times Bradley told him, Josh just didn't like it.

"Well, the princess of that country arrived a few hours ago," Josh said.

"And does she know what's happened?"

"I assume she does," Josh said dryly.

"Oh well," Bradley said nonchalantly. "It's not like she can do anything about it now." He got up from the bed and moved over to is brother's closet. Throwing open the door, he began digging through the racks of clothing. The majority of it was suits and formal attire. "Don't you have anything remotely comfortable that I can wear?"

He pulled out a grey sweatshirt and held it up to his chest. His torso was as long as Josh's, but the sleeves were too narrow and wouldn't fit his bicep muscles. In contrast to Josh, Bradley was much more bulky. He worked out on a regular basis and prided himself in staying fit. It wasn't like Bradley was bursting from his shirts, but he was nicely toned when compared to his thinner and less muscular brothers.

"I doubt you'll find anything," Josh pointed out, trying to deter Bradley from throwing more of his stuff on the floor. He watched impatiently as his older brother made a mess of his well-organized closet.

"Well then I guess I'm going to have to sleep in whatever I'm wearing now," Bradley concluded. He ditched what was in his hands and returned to the bed. Josh shot him a confused look when he saw him make himself comfortable under the covers.

"What do you think you're doing?" Josh demanded, glaring at Bradley from the foot of the bed. There was no way he was going to share with Bradley. Yes, he had a king-size bed, but even that wasn't enough space for the two of them.

"Oh relax," Bradley said, dismissing his brother's protests. He pulled the blue silk covers up to his chin and leaned his head against the luxurious soft down pillows. "You didn't expect me to go and sleep in my room tonight, did you? I'm supposed to be back tomorrow, not tonight. The last thing I want to do is wake up the servants and have them prepare my bedroom. It's easier for everyone if I just stay here." With that, he rolled over on his side and turned his back to Josh.

"Everyone except for me," Josh mumbled under his breath. If he could kick his brother out he would have, but Bradley was solid and twice as strong. There would be nothing he could do if Bradley even put up a slight resistance. Giving in, Josh got up and slipped into the hallway. He carefully shut the door behind him and decided to head to his office. At least he could be by himself over there.

It was all the way on the other side of the castle, but Josh enjoyed the walk. Nobody was awake at two o'clock in the morning, so he could pretty much do whatever he wanted. He took a shortcut up the spiral staircase in the library and reached the third floor. Then he followed the main hall towards a set of double doors. They were made of solid oak and creaked loudly as he pushed them open. As soon as he passed through the doorway, Josh shut the doors and locked them tightly. The last thing he wanted was to be disturbed again.

When Josh awoke the next morning, his neck and back were killing him. He'd somehow managed to fall asleep in his chair with his body contorted into an odd shape.

It was already ten by the time he got back to his room, much later than he usually started his day. Bradley was still there sleeping and sprawled out on the bed. Being as quiet as possible, Josh dressed and headed downstairs. He was supposed to have had breakfast with the princesses at eight, but had clearly overslept. By the time he dropped by the great hall it was already empty. He felt a momentary stab of guilt and hoped the princesses didn't think he was the type to laze around in bed all day. First impressions were important and he knew he might have possibly just ruined his.

The kitchen was busy as usual with the cooks preparing lunch. The head chef offered to make Josh something when he'd spotted him, but Josh politely declined. Instead, the prince poured himself a cup of coffee and headed outside to the gardens where he expected to run into his mother.

As expected, the Queen of Berkley was tending to her rose garden. However, she wasn't alone. Two young girls, both of whom were competing in Bradley's selection, had joined her and were seated at a table. They were chatting amicably, but turned their heads in unison when they heard footsteps coming towards them.

"You're awake," Queen Adelaide said, giving her son a disapproving look. "Care to explain why you missed breakfast?"

Josh took a seat at the table and placed his cup down on the glass tabletop. "I was speaking to Bradley and our phone call ran a bit longer than I'd expected," Josh lied. "I'm sorry if you were waiting for me this morning."

Queen Adelaide nodded but wasn't about to let her second son off the hook just yet. "It isn't me you should be apologizing to, but these young ladies," she said, motioning to the two princesses. Josh turned to face each of them individually and asked for their forgiveness. Out of courtesy, he kissed the back of each of their hands, earning him a grin from one princess and a shy smile from the other. They politely forgave him and brushed off his slight this morning as if it was nothing.

"Well I'm glad you spoke to your brother. Did he tell you what time he was coming home today?" Queen Adelaide wondered. Josh figured Bradley had yet to be discovered sleeping upstairs.

"He said he'll be home soon; he's quite close to the castle," Josh said.

"That's good. I'd hate for these fine young women to have to wait another day to see their potential husband," the queen smiled.

Josh politely went along and took another sip from his cup. He recognized one of the girls beside him as Princess Anona Heloise. They'd met briefly a couple years back at a wedding and she hadn't seemed to have changed much. Her wavy ebony hair was still poofy, but much less so due to the cooler climate in Berkley. He noticed she was tanned, unlike his mother who spent most of her time indoors.

The other princess was very different from Princess Anona, who was a mix between lanky and athletic. She was very voluptuous and had the most amazing features and complexion. Her raven black hair contrasted nicely against the red dress she was wearing as well.

"I believe you're already acquainted with Princess Anona," Queen Adelaide said. Josh nodded politely, acknowledging the foreign princess. "And this is Princess Kayle Valois."

* * *

**A/N: **Hi everyone! I just wanted to let you know that there are still a few princess spots open. I will post a list of the available and unavailable countries down below. So if you'd like, feel free to submit OCs for the countries not yet taken.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I only wrote a brief part with two princesses because I didn't want to delve into introductions just yet. So if your character was mentioned but you feel it was too short, or if your character hasn't even been mentioned yet, don't worry! I will give everyone proper introductions soon enough. I feel like gradual introductions are best even though they take more time than just introducing everyone and skimming over their personalities. So stay with me!

That was also your first glimpse at Prince Bradley. Did you like him? Dislike him? Either way, I don't want this fic to solely be based on romance. Of course the competition to win Bradley's heart will take centre stage, but other story lines will be important too.

**There were no questions this time.**

**List of available and unavailable countries:**

Alastair - Lacey Edwards

Bowen -

Branding - Kayle Valois

Tilley -

Spelking - Ryselina Kramerova (pending until I decide otherwise - I might change her country)

Illea -

Scrivent - Anona Heloise


End file.
